CITY GOVERNMENT

Council gets earful on off-road riding

The furious buzzing of off-road motorcycles is being replaced by the furious ringing of City Council’s cellphones.

Dirt bikers and all-terrain-vehicle drivers have been churning over the dirt hills of the old Pueblo Honor Farm property for years but City Manager Sam Azad’s decision to try and stop the illegal riding is running into a storm of protests.

Azad explained to council at its work session Monday night that the city has no choice but to ban the off-road riders from using the grounds unless the city is willing to establish designated trails and take other steps to control access and use of the grounds — an expensive undertaking.

The city was given the property by the state of Colorado but there is a conservation easement governing its use and the unrestricted off-roading violates that easement.

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City staff intends to post warnings about the ban on off-roading and then start writing tickets later in December.

At the work session, council urged Azad to organize a meeting of “stake holders” to discuss the problem.

Azad cautioned that if the city legitimizes the off-road riding, it creates a liability for the city if there is a costly accident.

“We’re better off just keeping the ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted,” he told council.

Council also got a 2014 budget report Monday night from the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority and the Pueblo Convention Center.

Brian Hoffman, general manager of the convention center, said the remodeled Memorial Hall has received strong reviews from the professional entertainers who have performed there in recent weeks, including the internationally known Mannheim Steamroller musical company.

Hoffman said the show manager wasn’t thrilled at first to see Pueblo back on the concert schedule after having performed in the old Memorial Hall but said the new stage, lighting and other features have prompted the manager to write a letter of endorsement.